Cluster-socket.



N0. 757,441. PATENTED APR. 19, 1904- J. H. DALE.

CLUSTER SOCKET.

LPPLIOATIOF FILED FEBJS, 1904.

K0 IODEL.

Patented April 19, 1904'..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. DALE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLUSTER-SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,441, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed February 18,1904. Serial No. 194,175. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. DALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cluster-Sockets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to fixtures provided with a plurality of electric-lamp receptacles and commonly known as clusters, the object being to provide a fixture of simple and cheap construction, yet ornamental, durable, and strong and which can be assembled or placed in position readily and in which the operation of connecting the service-wires is very simple. r

In carrying out my invention I avoid the use of large porcelain bases heretofore commonly found in clusters by supporting or suspending the entire internal mechanism upon the external finishing-cap.

The invention consists, specifically, of the construction hereinafter described in detail,

and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cluster. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the cluster with the coverplate removed.

A indicates a dome or similarly shaped finishing-cap, preferably made of spun brass and provided with a number of circular Openings a, corresponding to the number of lamps in the cluster. The upper or open side of this cap is covered by a metallic disk 6, which engages therewith by means of a number of bayonet-joint connections, the edge of the cap having a number of inwardlydirected pins or lugs a, which fit into angular grooves in the flange on the edge of the disk. By means of this disk the cluster is attached to the ceiling or other support in connection with which it is used, and for this purpose it has a central threaded hub b, which may screw into the end of a tube dropped from a high ceiling, or the same threads may beused to connect the shadeholder 0 and the latter used to support the cluster against the ceiling in a manner to be more particularly described hereinafter.

Inside of the cap I provide a disk 6, of porcelain or other suitable insulating material, arranged horizontally and with a central raised portion 6' on its upper surface. To the bottom of this disk is secured by screws 6 countersunk in the porcelain, a metallic disk f, and to the top of the same porcelain piece is secured by screws 6 in a similar manner a disk 9, the center of which has an opening fitting over the raised portion 6' of the porcelain. Through the center of the porcelain disk is a perforation through which a bolt f passes, the head of the bolt resting on top of the raised part c and the threaded extremity mechanically engaging the metal plate f. This bolt or screw f serves as an electrical'connection for attaching one of the service-wires to the plate f. Plate or disk 9 carries a screw g, which serves a similar purpose. Thus the binding-screwsare both conveniently exposed on the upper side of the structure.

Disk f is provided with a number of integral yoke-shaped extensions f corresponding in number to the number of lamps in the cluster. These extensions are bent angularly upward against the periphery of the porcelain disk and have riveted to them threaded cylindrical shells i 6 i &c. the axes of which are arranged in an outwardly and downwardly inclined direction and the several shells passing, respectively, through the openings at in the cap. The inner ends of these shells are cut away on the sides to provide a free space for metallic parts connected with the disk 9. These metallic parts are in the form of lugs 9 projecting upwardly and outwardly from the edge of disk g at points immediately above the yoke-pieces f said lugs being thus presented at the open center of each of the shells i i &c.

In order to firmly support the internal structure above described, I provide porcelain or hardrubber internallythreaded sleeves p,

which are screwed over the projecting ends of the shells z", &c., and through the openings at, with which they make a good fit. When all of these sleeves have been screwed into place, it will be seen that the disk 6, with all the parts it carries, is supported or suspended in the cap A. The shells i 11 &c., being all electrically connected to the platef, are thereby connected to one side of the circuit, while the lugs g, which are a part of the plate 9, are all eonnected to the opposite side of the circuit. Each of the shells, with its corresponding lug g becomes a receptacle for the neck of an incandescent lamp, which, as is well known, has a corresponding thread, the lamps when in position being connected in parallel circuit.

When the cluster is to be attached to the end of a tube or conduit dropped from the ceiling, such tube will be threaded onto the hub Z), the tube thereby furnishing a support for the whole device, and if a shade is to be used it Will be slipped over the end of the tube before the cluster is adjusted thereto and will rest directly on top of the edges of the cap, as shown in Fig. 2, being confined by any suitable shade-holder. When the cluster is to be applied directly to a ceiling, as is the case when the ceiling is low, I use a shade-holder e as a means for connection to the ceiling. This shade-holder consists of a metal disk having a downwardly-turned flange of substantially the same diameter as the upper edge of the cap A. At the center it is provided with a nipple or hub c, which extends downwardly and has an external thread adapted to screw into the thread in the hub 6', its opposite end being internally threaded, as shown at 0 The device 0 may be fastened directly to the ceiling by means of screws 0 which pass through the plaster and into the woodwork beyond, or it may screw onto the threaded nipple of an outlet-box which is set into the plaster. WVhen the part c has been secured in 'either of these two ways, the shade S is inserted therein and held by the screws 0 or, temporarily, by hand until the disk 5 is screwed onto the end of hub 0, which then permanently sustains the shade. The service-wires 0 and 0 are then brought through the two disks by leading them either through the hollow hub 0 or through openings in the disks 0 and b. The two wires are then secured, respectively, under the heads of the bindingscrews f and 9, thus connecting the two sides of the circuit with the two plates 7" and g, which distributes the current to all of the sockets in the cluster. The cap containing the parts which it supports is then adjusted to the disk 6 by passing the edge of the former over the flange of the latter at the proper position to engage the bayonet-slots and then twisting the cap to lock it in position. The cluster is then completely mounted and ready for the lamps. The hole a at the center of the finishing-cap A may be used for an extension flexible cordconductor q, (seen in dotted lines,) which will connect inside the cap with plates f and-g and support at its lower end a pear-switch or another lamp.

It will be seen that the shade-holder and cover-plate serve the double purpose of a means for fastening the cluster in place and as a support for the shade, thus dispensing with one part heretofore necessary.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a cluster-socket, the combination of a finishing-cap and a block of insulating material located centrally therein, and having lampcontacts attached thereto for a plurality of lamps, said block being supported wholly by said cap, and a suitable support with which said cap is removably connected.

2. A cluster-socket comprising a finishingcap, means for attaching it to a support, a block of insulating material located centrally inside of the cap, lamp-socket terminals attached to the block, and means for supporting and suspending the block upon or from the cap whereby it is removable with the cap from the support.

3. A cluster-socket comprising a finishingcap having a plurality of openings therein, means for attaching the cap to the ceiling or other support, a block of insulating material located centrally inside of the cap, lamp-socket pieces attached to said block and projecting respectively through said openings and means whereby said block is supported wholly from the cap through the engagement thereof by said socket-pieces.

4-. A cluster-socket comprising a finishing cap, having a plurality of openings therein, a plurality of threaded shells projecting into said openings, threaded insulatingsleeves engaging said shells and the cap and connecting the same rigidly together and a eentrally-disposed. block of insulating material carrying circuit-terminals inside of said cap and supported wholly by attachment to said shells.

5. A cluster-socket comprising a finishingcap having a plurality of openings therein, a disk of insulating material contained in said cap, metallic plates [ixed to the opposite sides of said disk, metallic threaded shells attached to one of said metallic plates and projecting through the respective openings in the cap, and contact-pieces attached to the other plate and presented respectively opposite the inner ends of said shells, means for connecting and insulating said shells to and from the cap where by the disk and. its attachments are supported wholly by the cap, and a support for the cap independent of said disk, shells and contacts, substantially as described.

6. A cluster-socket comprising a finishingcap having a plurality of openings therein, a metallic disk closing the top of said cap, and. removably connected therewith and having means for attachment to asupport, a block of insulating material wholly within the cap and mounted independent of said disk and electric terminals carried by the insulating-block and. presented at the respective openings in the cap.

7. A cluster-socket comprising a domeshaped finishing-cap having a plurality of the cap from the support-plate will expose the IQ openings therein, a support-plate adapted to binding-screws.

cover the concave side of said cap and remov- In witness whereof Isubscribe my signature ably connected therewith, a block of insulatin presence of two witnesses.

ing material inside of said cap, circuit-terminals attached to said block and binding-screws JOHN DALE for conductors connected with said terminals Witnesses:

and located on that face of the block adjacent WALDO M. GHAPIN,

to said support-plate, whereby the removal of RANDALL TRUMPY. 

